Corvette Racing
By David Kimble
As you readers may know, author Kimble is one of our industry’s finest cutaway artists, as well as being a well-published journalist. Happily, both of those skill sets are on display in this superbly executed large-format book. As the title of this 60th anniversary celebration suggests, Kimble traces the history of the Corvette’s competition career from its earliest six-cylinder days right up through 2012 when the brand’s name was applied to the Grand-Am’s Daytona Prototype class.
Broken down into ten eras coinciding with the car’s evolutionary development, the story covers both racing and street applications of Corvette technology, enhanced by liberal use of the author’s aforementioned illustrations, as well as excellent photography from GM’s archive and others.
All the major figures in Corvette competition history are discussed, from the legendary Zora Arkus-Duntov through Betty Skelton, John Fitch and Briggs Cunningham to John Greenwood and Gary Pratt, naming only a few. The seminal variations on the Corvette theme are also not forgotten: SS, Sting Ray, Grand Sport, Mako Shark, Z06, L88, LT-1, ZL-1….
This book could have used a good copy editor and spellchecker, but none of that really detracts from the finished product. Available for US$60/£40 from better bookstores or direct from publisher Motorbooks at www.motorbooks.com
